PT Usha spoke after her defeat in the elections. (X) Since her defeat in the election to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) General Council, PT Usha has stated that her loss wasn't accidental. Speaking to Mathrubhumi English, the sprint legend alleged that the result was manipulated by internal lobbies within the IOA. After the announcement of the female athlete representative election results, Usha said, "Victory and defeat are not new to me; I have experienced both since the seventh grade." "However, my defeat in the election to the IOA General Council was no coincidence. It was meticulously planned and executed by certain lobbies, likely those disgruntled by the clean-up within the IOA." Hinting at internal political ambitions within the IOA, she said, "Despite major achievements during this period, if someone like me finishes fifth, there must be a reason." "Those who engineered the defeat know why, though they will not admit it. It is up to the media and relevant authorities to investigate. Had I placed in any of the top four positions, it would have been difficult for presidential hopefuls to secure the role. Hence, that lobby deliberately manipulated the outcome to push me to fifth place. "Given what we achieved, I had full confidence. Even members who participated in the voting have expressed doubts about the final figures." Speaking about the work done during her tenure, she said, "We revived the National Games after a two-year hiatus, brought the 2030 Commonwealth Games to India, and completed 35 per cent of the groundwork required to host the 2036 Olympic Games in the country." "Fundamentally, the IOA made immense progress. We expanded the association's reserves from ?2 crore to ?100 crore, reorganised disrupted state-level associations, and revitalised support for athletes. Furthermore, the Asian Games in Japan concluded without a single complaint." Speaking about her administrative future, she added, "I became IOA President without prior involvement in the association's politics, and I remain indebted to the Prime Minister for the opportunity." Neelav Chakravarti is a sports journalist with 8.5 years of experience, primarily in digital media. He has reported extensively on Indian football and... View More